Dog Who Played Bran Stark's Direwolf in Game of Thrones Dies from Cancer

March 28, 2020

One of Game of Thrones‘ canine actors has passed away.

Odin, the Inuit dog who portrayed one of the Stark children’s direwolfs in the first season of the HBO series, succumbed to cancer this week, his family announced on Thursday.

“Our family are at immense heartbreak to announce that Odin passed away early this morning,” the Inuit dog’s owners shared on Instagram.

“It’s difficult to put into words how this has impacted us as a family for Odin lead a life like no other dog. Odin was a family member first and we got him when he was a pup at 7 weeks old all we wanted were big dogs to take hiking and to sleep at our feet in the evening beside the fire, everything after that was a bonus,” the family’s statement continued.

Odin’s family said that they “take great comfort in knowing that he is forever immortalized in the great TV Show Game of Thrones,” in which the dog appeared as a puppy in the premiere episode as Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright)’s direwolf, Summer.

“To everyone that was lucky enough to meet him and put a smile on your face please remember that moment. It’s an incredible piece of luck to have a pet you love so well become world famous and touch so many peoples hearts,” the family said.

In November, the family learned that Odin had cancer and had been “putting every bit of time and energy into the treatment and recovery,” said William Mulhall in a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Odin’s veterinary bills.

“Odin along with his brother Thor have brought joy, excitement and made the highlight of peoples trip to Ireland for the past 4 years,” Mulhall wrote. “Not only that but before he became a globally recognised dog he was our family member. We had him since he was a pup at 7 weeks old and he and his brother have brought our family together and changed our lives forever.”

As of Friday, the GoFundMe had raised over $17,243 of its $16,907.66 goal.